Developing a Tao Compass Part 1 (1986-87)

One of the first "compilation of excerpts" quotation collections I compiled (1986-87). Although I'm uploading it (in its four parts, to make each file smaller, since they are scanned documents) because I refer to it in my CPCS Initiative profile (www.cpcs.co), there are quotes from the Atlas of Planetary Management, D.T. Suzuki (Zen), Alan Watts, Buckminster Fuller ("Critical Path"), Shakespeare, proverbs, and 2-5 year olds (quoted from listening in a day care), which may be interesting in themselves for some readers. The source references are in Part 4.

The usual bnsrer io ihe problem of yh.i is qood for any or 6ll species is simply survival.., But on fhis
assumpilon ihe hunan race had survlved, and sened llkely io so on survivlng, for perhaps more than

Unity. lt is of greal inporlance that the need tor c.eatlng unlty ls recognlzed. The indivldual
spirii is nolrlshed by a 6ense of connectedness to the ftole o{ hutiEn ava.eness.
one persons faniasy

ls a

dream,

irc

people shrrins 5 fan+asy

human

ls rerli+y.

For rhai re calr nna+uren is {.ee fron s ce.fsin kind of scheninE 6nd self-inportance. The birds and bessis
indeed pursue their business of edting and breeding rith th€ utmost devotion. But they do not justify it,
they do not prelend iha+ ii serves hlgher ends, or iha+ lt nakes a slsnificdni coniribuiion io ihe prosress
6l the lorld.

'rhe

buildinq of 6 ship .equired thai you nusl have ackno{ledged porer to comand all ihe people in the nation...
all the skllled people had io be mployed ln ihe b!lldins lnd oltfltil.s of your ship. ln addiiion
you had to command all the farmers vho produced the {ood +o fsed not only themselves boi also io {eed
all those skllled people ehile ihey bulli the shlp-- and to feed 6ll your 6.ny 6nd sll yolr court. So
ihere yas no vay you could posslbly produce o.e of ihese 9.e6i shlps unless you vere very ve.y poue.ful.

ihs-t this conien+ious s-torn invades us to the skin, so
g.eai nal6dy is fix'd ihe lesse. is scarce {eli'

Thou

ihink'st 'tis

Demi I

itdriz.tion of the

much

mlnd

is 6

necessary prerequisite

and

'ils io ihee... but vh€re

to demllli.rlz€tion of regions

ihe

and reqihes.

Resirained. There is ll+ile that cEn be acconpllshed in the external ro.ld at this iime. Neveriheless,
a prospeci for utfinaie success exists if you c6n rest.6in yourself uniil ihe siiualion can accomodate

Beins as ii used +o be long ago, may
May i+ be beautiful before ne
M6y it be beauti{ul behlnd me

S+asnaiion. There ls no unders-landlng of vh6t is needed 6nd qro*ih cdnnot conilnue... Do no-f atlempi fo
inflrence others, for ihis is not possible. Do nof conpromise your PrinciPles o. alier vour siandards,
for-there is no end to-the chaos and nothi.g reasonable can be resolved. You uill be Pulled further
and furiher into nultlfarlous disorder.

o iime, thou must lntangle lhis, not l; it is loo ha.d a knor for ne truntie'
The

a.chiiectonic and a.tificial style o{ Christianity is novhere clea.er th6n in the idea of God as the
mdke. of rhe uo.td, 6nd ihus of the ro.ld itself as 6n 6.iifact rhich has been const.ucled in accordance
uilh d plan, and uhich h6s, fhe.efore, 6 purpose and an etPldndtion".. Fo. from the slandpolnt of
Taoisi philosophy nalu.6l forns are nol nade bui qroun, and the.e ls a .6dical diffe.ence betreeo the
o.ganic and the nechanical. Thinss rhich are nade, such 6s houses, {u.nltu.e, and machines, are an
assemblage of pa.ts put together, o. shaped, like sculpture, f.om lhe outside in"a.ds. But thinss uhich

q.o,

shape Themselves from

tithin outrards.

ln Zen ihere is .oihins 10 exolain, .othinq to leach, ThaT vill 6dd to your knovledg.. unless it gro{s
out of yo0rself, no kno*ledge is really of value to you, a bo..oyed Plumage never qrovs.... Zen calls

Loslcally siaied, 6ll iho opposites 6nd contr6dictions dre uniied and h.rnoni2ed ln-to a consisien+ organlc {hole.
This is a nysfe.y and 6 nlr6cle, bui 6cco.dln9 io the zen mast€rs such is beins performed every day..
The.efore, the definition of Buddhisn must be thai of th€ lif€-force rhich car.ies for!6rd a spiritual
movemeni ca I led Buddh isn.
Noi +he cry, but the f light ot the

(ihe serblls), and nov-they have babies.,. it doesnrt take then lonq-to qrov up...,n
ii lakes iicked long lo. us to grov up.rl
"lould you r6ni +o qror up fasier?rr
I'They vere babies
rrAnd

nBecause

lrn

gonnd be

rich vhen I gror

up.rl

-17-

Lav has been ihe mosi v6luable assei possessed by ihe caplialisi cl6ss. !iihout it, this class rould have
as helpless as a babe. Uhal liould ihe medieval baron have been rlthoo+ drmed fo.ce? But noie hov

been

condiiions h6ve chansed, The capitalisi class, far sh.e{der th.n the feudalistic rule.s, dispenses tilh
personally equipped arned {orce. li becomes superfluous. All-thai is necessary io do is Fake ihe lavs,
and so guide +hings ihai ihe of{icials rho enlorce ihe l.vs s.e.esponsive io the interes+s o{ the p.ope.lied
classes. Back of the lats are ihe police for.es and shaiffs and mirltia, 6rl kept ai the expense of
ciiy, coLrnty and s+a+e-- 6t public expense. cle€rly, ihen, hsvins control over the lavs and oJ the officials,
the p.opertied classes have the full benelit of arned Jo.ces the expense of thich, horever, ihey do noi
have io defray. ri has u.folded itsnlf as a vasi imProveneni over the crude feudal systen.

so lons ss oan atfenpts to save hinselt by ihe mere observance ot noral, spi.ilual, o. phy.hologic6l l6a he
is involved in ihe vi.ious circle of duality. The moilvailns pouer of ihe vicious ci.cle is pride. ln
chrisiian ierns ve should say that man is noi uillinq 1o be saved as he isi he feels thai ii is necessary
for hin to do somethins 6boui i+, to earn salvalion by hls oun self-nade spiritualjTy and rishleousness.
He cannoi bea. the
The Grace of God is oJJe.ed {reely io 6ll, but ihrough pride man ail I not accept ii.
+houghl thai he is 6bsoluiely poverless to lift himself up, €nd that +he only chance of s6lva+ion Is
simply io accepi something rhich ls offered as freely 1o the salnt as io ihe sinner. lf noihins can be
done to ea.n this Gr6ce ii seens to set all n6n's self inposed ideals al naughlj he has ro con{ess himself
impoient, and this is no.e than he c6n bea.. So the 9i{i of Grace is taciily iqnored, and man goes on
1.yins to nanuf6ciure jt Jor himsel{.
You pay a

greal deal 1oo dea. for lhatrs freely gjven.

3etier 10 be.d dovn than io hii you.

head on

the door

jamb.

buil-i in reak points, places that decay and eventually collapse... Be €ne.getic
you've Jound you. path of action. Don'i be lulled inio i.ertia by the magniiude of ihe iask. lhe
sjiuation vill develop netr ene.qy and inspiration 6nce the problems are renoved.

Rep.ir. All things

have

-lhe more ingenious and clever men are, ihe nore stranqe +hings happen.
The mo.e rules and requlafions, the more thieves and robbe.s.
Therefore the sage says: I iake no action and people are re{orned.
I enjoy peace .nd people becone honesl.
I do nothing and people become rlch.
I have no desires and people reiurn to the sood and

toreisn-6id .pproprl6tlon has been 14 bllllon (19t0 val!e) per vear ovet the 27 vear
period fros 1952 to 1919, rhlch anounied to a $100 billion tolal. Each ner ve6.rs {oreign ald blll
had a .ider thai sald that if tun€rican cmpanies tere present ln ihe countrv being 8lded, the non€v
had to be sDen+ th.oush +hose Anerlcan co,rpanles.... Foreign.ld ptld for all the ner faciorles tnd
machinery of all ihe Anerican corpor€iions moving oui of AMic6.'. This became 6 fund6mental pal+e.n.